The present invention relates to a processing apparatus for processing data including a sequence constituted by time-sequential event data and a script indicating a rewriting procedure for rewriting the time-sequential event data.
For a format of time-sequential event data, AIFF is known. For example, in the field of music, this AIFF is applied to a standard MIDI file (hereafter referred to as an SMF). MIDI stands for Musical Instrument Digital Interface. MIDI isa standard established for interconnecting different musical instruments or a sequencer, a computer, a lighting control, a mixer, and so on for music information exchange. SMF is a file format designed for recording and storing event information to be exchanged real-time by MIDI with a time stamp attached.
With SMF, which is currently in wide use, only a primitive MIDI event sequence can be stored and transferred. It is hence difficult for SMF to transfer complex information such as a musical structure and a quantitative parameter varying with time during music performance. Such information can only be stored in a format unique to sequencer software.
Consequently, it has been impossible to transfer sophisticated information such as a temporal position of event data and time-variable data. To solve this problem, introduction of a new format may be desired. This, however, gives rise to a new problem of incompatibility with the conventional formats.
Application of delicate music expression to performance data is generally practiced. To do this by means of SMF, it is required to manually apply expression to each note event, making the work complicated and hence taking a lot of time. Moreover, the application of the music expression is often repetition of typical procedures. Nevertheless, the prior art requires to apply expression one by one even for these typical procedures.
In creating MIDI performance data, a user sets a variety of parameters such that optimum sound can be obtained from a sound source being used. If the performance data thus created is supplied to another sound source of a different type, it is likely that the performance data is reproduced from another sound source as unnatural sounds. Further, a template that provides a typical performance pattern is routinely utilized. However, SMF cannot modify the contents of the template, thereby causing a problem in flexibility. Further, SMF cannot group a plurality of music sequences, making it inconvenient to hold templates. Therefore, there is no means but to place the templates in an additional track that cannot be used for regular sounding.
SMF data can be recorded on a plurality of tracks. However, since these tracks are fixed to start at the same point of time, the degree of freedom of editing is limited. This problem becomes especially conspicuous when a plurality of music pieces are edited altogether.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a data processing apparatus for defining a data structure constituted by time-sequential event data and a script for indicating a rewriting procedure for rewriting this time-sequential event data to transfer sophisticated information such as a complex data structure and a time-variable profile curve, and to provide a recording medium on which the defined data structure is recorded.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a data processing apparatus for processing hyper data composed of a script for repeating a typical procedure and time-sequential events, and to provide a recording medium on which the data composed of the script and the time-sequential events is recorded.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a data processing apparatus for processing data composed of a script for rewriting time-sequential event data suitably for sound sources of different types, and to provide a recording medium on which the data composed of the script and the time-sequential events is recorded.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a data processing apparatus for selectively processing time-sequential event data by execution of a script.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a data processing apparatus for processing a package capable of grouping a plurality of sequences each composed of a script and events.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a data processing apparatus for processing time-sequential data capable of representing time-variable continuous data in terms of discrete data, and to provide a recording medium on which the time-sequential data is recorded.
It is a yet further object of the present invention to provide a data processing apparatus for representing time-variable continuous data by using discrete data for facilitating the processing of the time-variable continuous data.
It is an additional object of the present invention to provide a data processing apparatus for enhancing degree of freedom of editing by placing a script in a package capable of storing a plurality of event data sequences, thereby providing a plug-in module capability.
It is a still additional object of the present invention to provide a data processing apparatus for sharing event data and scripts between a plurality of packages by arranging these packages in order.
It is a yet additional object of the present invention to provide a data processing apparatus for providing flexible usage of scripts among packages.
It is a separate object of the present invention to provide a data processing apparatus for realizing compatibility between data in a conventional format and data in a new format capable of transferring sophisticated information, and to provide a recording medium on which data is recorded in the new format.
In a first aspect of the invention, a data processing apparatus comprises an input that provides a sequence composed of events and a script, the events being data determining time-sequential occurrence of multimedia matter, while the script being a program modifying the time-sequential occurrence of multimedia matter, a processor operative when reference is made to the provided sequence for executing the script to rewrite the events, and an output that provides the sequence containing the rewritten events in response to the reference for modifying the time-sequential occurrence of the multimedia matter.
Preferably, the input affixes an identification code to an event for discriminating from each other, and the processor discriminatively processes the events according to the identification code during the course of execution of the script.
Preferably, the input provides a curve sequence containing a discrete series of events each being data determining a pair of a time and a value such that the curve sequence represents a time-variation of the multimedia matter, and the processor rewrites the value of each event so as to modify the time-variation of the multimedia matter. In such case, the processor interpolates the value between successive events during execution of the script so as to convert the discrete series of the events into a continuous series of the events.
Preferably, the input provides a music sequence composed of music events determining time-sequential occurrence of music notes as one form of the multimedia matter.
Preferably, the processor comprises a separator for separating the events and the script from each other which are initially bound to each other to compose the sequence, an interpreter for interpreting the separated script to produce an executable program, and a rewriter for executing the program to rewrite the separated events.
In a second aspect of the invention, a data processing apparatus comprises an input that provides a plurality of sequences each being composed of events which are data determining time-sequential occurrence of multimedia matter, one of the sequences containing a link event which is a secondary reference to another sequence, a processor operative when a primary reference is made to said one of the sequences for extracting therefrom the link event, and for incorporating said another sequence referred to by the link event into said one sequence in place of the link event so as to form a composite sequence, and an output that provides the composite sequence in response to the primary reference for presenting the time-sequential occurrence of the multimedia matter.
Preferably, the input provides said another sequence in the form of a curve sequence containing a series of events each being data determining a pair of a time and a value such that the curve sequence represents time-variation of the multimedia matter, and the processor incorporates the curve sequence into said one sequence so as to apply the time-variation to the time-sequential occurrence of the multimedia matter.
Preferably, the input provides said one sequence containing a first link event and a second link event, and provides a first curve sequence corresponding to the first link event and a second curve sequence corresponding to the second link event, and the processor comprises a mixer operative when first time-variation represented by the first curve sequence and second time-variation represented by the second curve sequence overlap with each other for consolidating the first curve sequence and the second curve sequence into a composite curve sequence, and for concurrently consolidating the first link event and the second link event into a single link event to conform with the composite curve sequence.
Preferably, the input provides said one sequence in the form of a music sequence composed of music events determining time-sequential occurrence of music notes as one form of the multimedia matter, and provides the curve sequence representing time-variation of the music notes.
Preferably, the input provides said one sequence in the form of one music sequence composed of music events determining time-sequential occurrence of music notes as one part of the multimedia matter, and provides said another sequence in the form of another music sequence composed of music events determining time-sequential occurrence of music notes as another part of the multimedia matter, and the processor incorporates said another music sequence into said one music sequence by means of the link event so as to present a whole of the multimedia matter.
In a third aspect of the invention, a data processing apparatus comprises an input that loads a package which is a file containing at least one sequence and a plurality of scripts, the scripts including a package-script bound to the package and a sequence-script bound to the sequence, the sequence being composed of events which are data determining time-sequential occurrence of multimedia matter while the sequence-script is a program modifying the time-sequential occurrence of the multimedia matter, a processor operative when the package is loaded for executing the package-script to initialize the file, and being operative when reference is made to the sequence for executing the sequence-script to rewrite the events, and an output that provides the sequence containing the rewritten events in response to the reference for modifying the time-sequential occurrence of the multimedia matter.
Preferably, the input loads a plurality of the packages each of which contains the package-script having definition of a subroutine while one of the scripts belonging to the packages has a call command for a subroutine, and the processor comprises a sorter that sorts the provided packages to define a search order, an initializer that executes each package-script to prepare a dictionary of a subroutine according to the definition thereof, and a searcher operative when said one script is executed for searching the dictionaries of the respective packages according to the defined search order to call the subroutine specified by the call command. Preferably, the sorter can exchange, add and delete the packages to arrange the search order.
Further, the inventive data processing apparatus comprises an input that provides a plurality of packages each of which can accommodate therein at least one sequence, the sequence being composed of events which are data determining time-sequential occurrence of multimedia matter, one sequence belonging to one package containing a link event which is a secondary reference to another sequence belonging to another package, a sorter that sorts the provided packages to define a search order, a processor operative when a primary reference is made to said one sequence for extracting therefrom the link event, then searching the packages according to the defined search order to find said another sequence referred to by the link event, and incorporating said another sequence into said one sequence in place of the link event so as to form a composite sequence, and an output that provides the composite sequence in response to the primary reference for presenting the time-sequential occurrence of the multimedia matter. Preferably, the sorter can exchange, add and delete the packages to arrange the search order.
In a fourth aspect of the invention, a data processing apparatus comprises an input that provides mixture of a first sequence having a simple format and a second sequence having a complex format, the first sequence being composed of events alone, the second sequence being composed of events and a script, the events being data determining time-sequential occurrence of multimedia matter while the script being a program modifying the time-sequential occurrence of the multimedia matter, a processor operative when reference is made to the first sequence for simply processing the same and being operative when alternative reference is made to the second sequence for executing the script to rewrite the events, and an output that provides the second sequence containing the rewritten events in response to the alternative reference for modifying the time-sequential occurrence of the multimedia matter.
Preferably, the input provides the mixture of the first sequence and the second sequence in a serial track such that the first sequence and the second sequence are interleaved with one another.
Preferably, the input provides the mixture of the first sequence and the second sequence in parallel tracks such that the first sequence is allotted to one of the parallel tracks while the second sequence is allotted to another of the parallel tracks.
Preferably, the input provides the first sequence and the second sequence, each being composed of music events determining time-sequential occurrence of music notes as a specific form of the multimedia matter.
In carrying out the invention and according the first aspect thereof, a time-sequential event can be rewritten by executing a script to generate modified time-sequential event data with active features and wide varieties. A template of the time-sequential events can be rewritten by executing the script, hence the template can be provided with active features and wide varieties. Further, since each time-sequential event data can be identified at the script execution, each of the time-sequential event data can be manipulated selectively and individually, thereby enhancing ease of operation. Still further, while time-variable data is conventionally represented in a discrete MIDI event series, the present invention represents the time-variable data in the form of a line curve data, thereby enabling to abstract all kinds of time-variable parameters such as volume and tempo of music composition. Yet further, this curve data can be transferred without need of format change. In addition, the present invention can prepare a script for indicating a procedure for optimizing data for different models of sound source , thereby generating an optimum tone with any sound source model. Moreover, sequences composed of events and a script can be grouped into a package, such that typical templates can be held in a package, thereby facilitating data generation.
In carrying out the invention and according to the second aspect thereof, when a time-sequential event is rewritten by executing a script, a link event placed in a time-sequential event data series is settled. Hence, if a typical representation pattern is used repeatedly, only one typical representation pattern is provided and reference thereto by a link event is used, thereby capturing the provided representation pattern every time the same is required. Further, while time-variable continuous data is conventionally represented as a discrete MIDI event series, the present invention represents the time-variable data in the form of folded line curve data described by a list of a series of time-sequential events each denoted by a pair of an occurrence time and a corresponding value. The line curve data is referenced by a link event, thereby facilitating consolidation with other time-variable continuous data. This novel setup allows time-variable continuous data indicating an attenuation profile to be commonly applied to both of volume and tempo, for example. At the same time, this novel setup allows generation of time-variable continuous data of a modified profile. Still further, the novel setup makes the stored curve data independent and available only by linking the curve data, thereby facilitating reuse and sharing of the curve data.
In carrying out the invention and according to the third aspect thereof, a package-script can be placed in a package in which sequences are stored, thereby providing a plug-in module capability. This results in an extended capability of enhancing the degree of freedom of editing, for example. Further, a data model is defined such that packages in which sequences are stored are held in an desired order by which the packages are searched at link event settlement, thereby allowing changing of the package line-up order and link destinations by package deletion or insertion. This results in flexible sharing of data.
In carrying out the invention and according to the fourth aspect thereof, data of a second format is embedded in data of a first format. In a reproducing, machine in which only the data of the first or old format can be reproduced the data of the second or new format is ignored. In another reproducing machine in which the data of the second format can be reproduced, only the data of the second format is extracted for reproduction. Consequently, the novel second format capable of exchanging sophisticated information realizes compatibility with the conventional first format.
The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals are used to identify the same or similar parts in several views.